Transaction control system and method

ABSTRACT

A system controls a transaction from initiation to completion using live vendor inventory database and purchaser entered parameters from a mobile application. A network interface receives parameters entered by the subscribers through the mobile application on the subscriber mobile device and receives inventory updates from vendor systems, the inventory updates including at least a vendor price and identifying information. The system communicates with an accounts server to confirm subscriber funds and place a hold on subscriber funds equal to the required subscriber price and implementing a matching algorithm to detect matching results by determining if any vendor prices and identifying information satisfy any required subscriber prices and descriptions. The system transmits an alert to the subscriber mobile device with matching results, receives a selection from the subscriber of at least one of the matching results, conducting payment processing for the matching result and closes the transaction.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are generally related to systemsand methods for remotely controlling a transaction, and in particular,for remotely controlling a transaction on behalf of mobile purchasershaving pre-set parameters for initiation of a transaction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the popularization of smartphones, tablets and other mobiledevices, mobile applications, or “apps,” have become household terms.Apps are computer applications that execute on mobile devices. Likeapplications that execute on traditional computing devices, apps allowusers to perform a wide range of actions, from simple (e.g., access theInternet, take a photo) to specialized (e.g., file tax forms, play aboard game). For instance, many banking institutions provide customerswith apps to access to bank accounts to review balance information,transfer money, pay bills, and perform other related actions. Similarly,many financial institutions also provide customers with apps that reviewthe performance of the stock markets, complete trades, configureautomated trades using user-defined limits and stops, and perform otherintricate trading operations. Various vendors provide mobile apps foruse by their customers for making purchases, obtaining loyalty pointsand rewards, receiving information about promotions, etc.

Purchasers desiring to make a purchase typically go use mobile apps orsearch web sites over the Internet to find an item for purchase. Popularonline sites for purchasing from multiple vendors include sites such asAmazon®. Other multi-vendor sites allow vendors and/or purchasers to bidon items for purchase and complete a transaction at a close of a biddingperiod or upon receipt of an acceptable bid. For example, web sites suchas Ebay® allow purchaser bidding. However, a burden is placed on thepurchaser to research and ascertain the nature and character of thegoods or services offered for sale. Purchasers are responsible formanually filtering data regarding desired items. For example, if apurchaser is seeking a particular shoe in a particular model, size, andcolor, manufactured by a particular manufacturer, the purchaser isrequired to manually filter this data to locate the item. Although someweb sites provide filtering categories, the categories are not alwaysrepresentative of purchaser needs.

Some available services, such as Priceline® allow vendor bids andperform filtering for a purchaser. However, with Priceline and similarservices, the purchaser is not able to view the hotel or good or serviceprovided prior to purchasing. Thus, the purchaser has little controlover the actual item purchased.

Furthermore, no current platform exists for enabling mobile app users tobe notified of the availability of consumable goods, such as a meal,through a particular vendor located in close proximity to the purchaserwithout the user of purchaser filtering. Furthermore, in existingsystems that require the purchaser to perform filtering, to locate avendor in immediate proximity with availability and to conduct thetransaction online and show up at the restaurant, the systems typicallyprovide no assurance to the vendor of purchaser payment. Instead,payment is generally not required or verified until the purchaserreaches the establishment to obtain the consumable goods. Thus, vendorsare generally not provided with any assurances that the purchaser willtransfer funds and complete the transaction. The purchaser also acceptsthe vendor representation that the goods are available without anyparticular assurances. Furthermore, no cross vendor platform currentlyexists for vendors to offer goods and services to mobile users havingpredetermined preferences, thereby minimizing the effort expended on thepart of both vendors and purchasers.

Accordingly, a solution is needed that will allow mobile purchasers topre-set preferences via a mobile application and to be provided withnotification when a vendor is capable of delivering goods or servicesthat comply with the purchaser pre-set preferences. Further, a solutionis needed that allows the purchaser to select an item offered by thevendor once the system has located the item and the vendor, or to selecta vendor if more than one vendor is able to supply an item satisfyingthe pre-set purchaser preferences. The solution should automatically anddynamically notify both purchasers and vendors of transaction statusfrom opening of the transaction to completion of the transaction.

Accordingly, the presently disclosed invention offers a solutionproviding assurances to both purchasers and vendors, eliminates the needfor manual filtering on the part of purchasers and vendors, and controlsestablished transactions from initiation to closing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a cross vendor platformthat enables purchasers to utilize mobile apps to set preferences andreceive vendor information in real time. Embodiments of the inventionfurther provide functionality for remotely opening, conducting, andclosing a transaction with minimal vendor and purchaser effort.

In one aspect of the invention, a transaction control system is providedfor initiating, processing, and closing a transaction between asubscriber and a vendor. The system includes a computer memory storingdata and instructions including at least a downloadable mobileapplication, wherein the mobile application is downloadable over theInternet for installation on a subscriber mobile device. The systemadditionally includes a network interface for receiving parametersentered by the subscribers through the mobile application on thesubscriber mobile device for storage in the computer memory, wherein theparameters include at least a required subscriber price and adescription. The network interface further receives receiving inventoryupdates from vendor systems, the inventory updates including at least avendor price and identifying information. A live inventory databasestores information entered by the vendors. The system also includes atleast one computer processor executing the instructions stored in memoryand accessing the stored parameters and at least one inventory databaseto perform multiple steps. The steps includes communicating with anaccounts server to confirm subscriber funds and place a hold onsubscriber funds equal to the required subscriber price. The stepsfurther include implementing a matching algorithm to detect matchingresults by determining if any vendor prices and identifying informationsatisfy any required subscriber prices and descriptions and transmittingan alert to the subscriber mobile device when one or more matchingresults are detected. The alert allows the subscriber to access thematching results. The system receives a selection from the subscriber ofat least one of the matching results, facilitates payment processing forthe matching result, and closes the transaction.

In an additional aspect of the invention, a method is provided forinitiating, processing, and closing a transaction between a subscriberand a vendor. The method includes storing, in a computer memory, dataand instructions including at least a downloadable mobile application,wherein the mobile application is downloadable over the Internet forinstallation on a subscriber mobile device. The method additionallyincludes receiving, through a network interface, parameters entered bythe subscribers through the mobile application on the subscriber mobiledevice for storage in the computer memory, wherein the parametersinclude at least a required subscriber price and a description. Themethod additionally includes receiving, through the network interface,inventory updates from vendor systems, the inventory updates includingat least a vendor price and identifying information and storing the liveinventory updates in a vendor database. The method further includesusing at least one computer processor executing the instructions storedin memory and accessing the stored parameters and an inventory databasestored in the computer memory to perform multiple steps. The stepsinclude communicating with an accounts server to place a hold onsubscriber funds equal to the required subscriber price and implementinga matching algorithm to detect matching results by determining if anyvendor prices and identifying information satisfy any requiredsubscriber prices and description. The method further includestransmitting an alert to the subscriber mobile device when one or morematching results are detected, the alert allowing the subscriber toaccess the matching results, receiving a selection from the subscriberof at least one of the matching results, conducting payment processingfor the matching result, and closing the transaction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the present invention,reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which likeelements are referenced with like numerals. These drawings should not beconstrued as limiting the present invention, but are intended to beexemplary only.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an operating environment for atransaction control system in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary flow between thetransaction control system and other components of the operatingenvironment in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a mobile device operating in conjunctionwith the transaction control system in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a vendor system operating inconjunction with the transaction control system in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a transaction control system inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a transaction control method inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a transaction control method inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a filtering process of thetransaction control method in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an alert transmission process of thetransaction control method in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a transaction control method inaccordance with a further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the presently disclosed invention provide a method andsystem for transaction control. In particular, embodiments of theinvention provide for remote transaction control for transactionsbetween purchasers utilizing a mobile application on a mobile device andvendor systems. Embodiments of the invention eliminate the need forlabor intensive purchaser filtering and provide real time notificationto purchasers of available vendor inventory in accordance with pre-setparameters. Additionally, embodiments of the invention control apurchase transaction from initiation to closing of the transaction.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an operating environment foroperation of a transaction control system 100 invention. The transactioncontrol system 100 may be connected over a network 150 with multiplecooperating systems, such as an accounts server 110, vendor server 120,vendor accounting system 130, and user mobile devices 140. Additionalsystems or devices may be included in the operating environment.

The transaction control system 100 may operate through a host serverthat administers multiple computing systems and applications forinternal and external users. The host server can host web sites, files,images, games and similar content. The host server can be shared amongmany clients. The transaction control system 100 interacts with theinterconnected systems to control a transaction involving a purchase bythe user mobile devices 140 from the vendor server 120.

The network 150 is preferably the Internet, but may be or include othertypes of networks. Furthermore, even though only one network is shown,multiple networks may be used. For example, the accounts server 110 maycommunicate over a different network with the transaction control system100 than the user mobile devices 140. The network 150 may include awired or wireless local area network (LAN) and a wide area network(WAN), wireless personal area network (PAN) and other types of networks.Computers may be connected over the Internet, an Intranet, Extranet,Ethernet, or any other system that provides communications. Somesuitable communications protocols may include TCP/IP, UDP, or OSI forexample. For wireless communications, communications protocols mayinclude Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDa or other suitable protocol. Furthermore,components of the system may communicate through a combination of wiredor wireless paths.

The accounts server 110 may be or include a computing system thatprovides access to user financial accounts. The accounts server 110 maybe hosted by, for example, a financial institution and may accesschecking accounts, savings accounts, bank card accounts, investmentaccounts, and other types of accounts.

The vendor server 120 may include at least one processor and multipleapplications executed by the processor capable of performing desiredfunctions to interact with the transaction control system 100. Thetransaction control system 100 interacts with the vendor server 120 toascertain vendor inventory and to provide tracking of transactionstates, as will be further explained below.

The vendor systems 120 may include a browser for accessing informationprovided by the transaction control system 100 and other connectedsystems that offer such functionality over the Internet or any othernetwork. The vendor systems 120 may additionally be or include mobilesystems, such as smart phones, tablets, or other portable computingapparatus. Mobile vendor systems may execute downloadable applicationsfor operating in conjunction with the transaction control system 100.The downloadable applications may be stored in memory and executed byprocessors on the mobile systems and may provide a plurality of userinterfaces. The vendor systems 120 may include mainframe computers,personal computers, desktop or laptop computing systems and the like.

The vendor accounting system 130 may track payments to and from vendorsystems. Embodiments of the invention integrate with the vendoraccounting system 130 so that payment processing is directly reported tothe vendor accounting system 130.

The user mobile devices 140 may include handheld devices includingmobile smartphones, such as Android® phones and iPhones®, tablets, orhand-held wireless devices such as PDAs, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, other handheld devices that may now be available or mayin the future become available. These mobile devices 140 may utilize adownloadable app supplied by the transaction control system 100 for usein conjunction with the transaction control system.

FIG. 2 illustrates data flow between the transaction control system 100and other system components. With respect to the user mobile devices140, once the mobile devices have downloaded the transaction controlmobile application, the transaction control system may exchange anauthentication dialog 10 with the user mobile device. Once the user hasbeen authenticated, the user may enter criteria or parameters 20 fortransmission to the transaction control system 100. The criteria orparameters preferably include information related to one or more itemsthat the mobile device user would like to purchase. The criteria includea price that the purchaser would like to pay for the item for purchaseas well as a description of the item. The description may be general orspecific. For example, when the user intends to purchase goods, thedescription may include a model number and/or manufacturer.Alternatively or additionally, the description may include descriptivekeywords. For example, a description may include a manufacturer, modelnumber, size, and color. Users may also enter descriptions of desiredservices using descriptive keywords. The transaction control system 100conducts a filtering process on these descriptions in conjunction with asearch of a live inventory database containing vendor real timeinventory updates and is thus able to deliver available selections 30 tothe mobile user. The available selections 30 might include multipleidentical products from different vendors, a single product from asingle vendor, or multiple products from one or more vendors that aresimilar, but not identical. Upon reviewing the selection, the user, viathe mobile application, selects one or more of the selections presented.Other interaction between the transaction control system 100 and theuser mobile devices 140 is within the scope of the invention.

The transaction control system 100 simultaneously interacts with thevendor server 120 to receive vendor inventory updates 60 and to makeauto-updates 50 to vendor inventory and vendor transactions in a liveinventory database of the transaction control system. The auto-updates50 may, for example, decrease vendor inventory when a transaction hasbeen completed, thus resulting in a subtraction from inventory.Furthermore, the auto-updates 50 may include transaction updates. Forexample, the transaction control system 100 notifies the vendor that anitem is “on hold” when the transaction control system 100 sends an itemfrom a particular vendor to a user mobile device as a potentialselection. If the user chooses to purchase the selection, theauto-update will subtract the item from inventory. If the user does notchoose to purchase the item offered as a selection, the transactioncontrol system provides an auto-update by releasing the hold on theinventory. Other interaction between the transaction control system 100and the vendor server 120 is within the scope of the invention.

The transaction control system 100 also interacts with the accountsserver 110 to perform various functions. For example, upon receiving thecriteria from the user mobile device including the desired price, thetransaction control system may execute a funds hold, for example on auser credit card, through the accounts server 110. Alternatively, thefunds hold may be executed on another type of account. Once the usermakes a selection as described above, the transaction control system 100may interact with the accounts server 110 and other components of theenvironment to authorize and process the transaction so that the fundsare transferred from user accounts to vendor accounts.

FIG. 3 illustrates a user or subscriber mobile device 140 in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. The mobile device 140 may include aprocessor 300 and a memory 310. The memory 310 may include, for example,applications 312, a browser 314, and a transaction control mobileapplication 316. The processor 300 may also be connected to additionalcomponents, either stored in a memory or installed as separate hardwarecomponents, such as for example battery or power source 320, clock 322,camera 324, input interface 326, network interface 328, output devices330, geo-locator 332, and operating system 334.

The mobile device 140 may be or include any of the devices or systemsdescribed above with respect to FIG. 1. In embodiments of the invention,users may be required to subscribe to the transaction control system inorder to use the transaction control mobile application 316. Thetransaction control system links to financial accounts of the purchaser,and therefore the use of a subscription facilitates processing forpurchasers. The transaction control mobile application 316 may storesubscriber preferences for products and services in order to providesubscribers with real time notification of the availability of matchingproducts and services available from participating vendor systems. Inembodiments of the invention, the subscribers may set an open time framefor purchases indicating that the subscriber agrees to purchase aparticular product or service for a pre-set price whenever that productis available. In other embodiments the entered parameters may include aparticular predetermined time frame limited to particular hours, toparticular dates, or ending on a particular date. Thus, the transactioncontrol application 316 operates in conjunction with the clock device322 to facilitate selection of products and services for the mobileuser.

Purchaser parameters may also include locality parameters. For example,the transaction control mobile application 316 may operate inconjunction with the geolocation apparatus 332 in order to determine acurrent purchaser location and may provide purchasers with productswithin a pre-set radius, for example, a five mile radius, of the currentlocation. Purchasers may further set one or more particular locationswhere they would like to locate a product or service.

The purchaser may additionally enter descriptive parameters in to thetransaction control application 316 to describe the desired product orservice. For example, the purchaser may enter a manufacturer, modelnumber, size, color, SKU, etc. Furthermore, the transaction controlmobile application 316 may operate in conjunction with the camera 324 inorder to described a desired product or service. The purchaser mayutilized the camera of the mobile device 140 to capture an image of thedesired product or service and upload the image to the transactioncontrol system through the transaction control mobile application 316.

While the mobile device 140 is described herein as interacting over theInternet with the transaction control system 100 through the use of thetransaction control mobile application 316, the mobile device 140 mayadditionally or alternatively interact with the transaction controlsystem 100 using a browser 314 to access a transaction control systemwebsite as will be further described below. In embodiments of theinvention, the transaction control mobile application causes thesubscriber mobile device to access one or more URLs from the transactioncontrol website.

FIG. 4 illustrates details of a vendor server 120 in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The vendor server 120 may include, forexample, a processor 400 and a memory 425. The memory 425 may forexample, include an operating system 430, a transaction control program440 connected with vendor inventory 450, a browser 460, and variousapplications 470. The vendor server may also include a network interface410 for communicating with the transaction control system 100 and othersystems over a network and a user interface 420 allowing viewing andinput directly by the vendor.

While the vendor server 120 is described as including the transactioncontrol program or application 440, the vendor server 120 mayadditionally or alternatively interact with the transaction controlsystem 100 over the Internet using the browser 460 to access thetransaction control website.

The inventory database 450 is shown as stored within the memory 425 ofthe vendor server 120. However, the inventory database may additionallyor alternatively be stored in a separate area accessible to the vendorserver 120 and the transaction control system 100. Additionally, asdescribed below, the transaction control system 100 may maintain alarger consolidated live inventory database storing inventory formultiple participating vendors and updating the inventory in real time.

FIG. 5 illustrates a transaction control system 100 in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. The transaction control system 100 mayinclude one or more computers having processors and memories and runningalgorithms to perform specific functions. In addition to the featuresshown, various other hardware and software components may be includedwithin the system and are within the scope of the invention. Thetransaction control system 100 may include an interaction server 510providing a transaction control website 512, an authentication server520, an inventory control server 530, a filtering server 540, a deliveryprocessor 550, a transaction tracking server 560, and a funds processingserver 570. The transaction control system 100 may further include alive inventory database 502, downloadable applications 504 and storedparameters 508. Additional components may also be provided.

The live inventory database 502, downloadable applications 504, andstored parameters 508 may be housed in data storage areas that include acomputer memory structure capable of storing data and may include one ormore databases. The data storage areas may store data gathered from thevarious sources described above with respect to FIG. 1. This data may bestructured, semi-structured, or unstructured. The data storage areas mayinclude file systems and databases for storing large amounts of data.For example, the data storage areas may include HP 3PAR StoreSery®Storage systems. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatother computer storage systems for storing large amounts of data may beimplemented. Data stored in the data storage areas may be managed andcommunicated with an Object-Relational Database Management System, suchas Postgre® or other Object-Relational Database Management Systems thatare known in the art. Multiple data storage areas may have differentstructures and store different types of data. For example, unstructureddata may be stored separately from cleansed and structured data

The live inventory database 502 may be updated through communicationswith the vendor system through the interaction server 510 and thetransaction control website 512. The live inventory database 502 mayfurther be updated by the inventory control server 530, whichcommunications with the transaction tracking server to determine when atransaction has been closed and to update inventory accordingly. Inembodiments of the invention, the interaction server 510 receivesupdates continuously directly from the vendor inventory system andupdates the live inventory database 502. In other embodiments of theinvention, vendors may also update the live inventory database manuallythrough the transaction control website 512 or other mechanism providedby the interaction server 510. The live inventory database 502 may notonly include inventory and descriptive information, but may also storevendor data, such as vendor hours, vendor account information, vendorlocation, and other factors impacting filtering of subscriber parametersto find vendor matches. Typically, vendors will subscribe to thetransaction control system such that data including location, hours, andaccount information need only be updated when a change occurs.

The downloadable applications 512 preferably include a downloadablemobile app for use by the subscriber. The mobile app is downloadableover the Internet via a network interface to the subscriber mobiledevices as described above. In embodiments of the invention, thesubscriber visits the transaction control website using a browserapplication to download the mobile application. Once downloaded, thedownloadable mobile application may operate on the user mobile devicesto interact with the transaction control website 512. The downloadableapplications may also include a vendor application for use with vendorsystems. Various types of apps may be provided for vendor systems giventhe variety of vendor systems implemented.

The stored parameters 508 include subscriber entered parameters receivedthrough the mobile application and/or the transaction control website512. The parameters include descriptions of desired products or servicesand a desired price for the product or service. The parameters may alsoinclude a location for the product or service. For example, if theproduct is a selection offered at a multiple restaurants, the subscriberwill likely set a parameter to indicate a geographic requirement for therestaurant. The subscriber will also likely select a time limitation,such as “ASAP” or “between 6 and 9 PM on Fridays”. Even when the productis a shippable item, such as a pair of shoes, or a shirt, the subscribermay want to view the product in person or pick up the productimmediately and therefore may also set geographic and time parameters.Descriptions of the product may be entered through keywords. Embodimentsof the invention may further provide menus of selectable parametersthrough the mobile application that include “manufacturer”, “modelnumber”, “color”, “size”, “location”, “time”, etc. Account informationof subscribers may also be entered by subscribers through the mobile appand thus, subscriber account information and address information mayalso be stored as parameters.

The interaction server 510 controls and enables interaction between thevendor systems and the transaction control system 100 and between thesubscriber mobile systems and the transaction control system 100. Theinteraction server 510 provides a the transaction control website 512for interaction, but may also trigger alerts, send notifications, andprovide a path for updating vendor and subscriber systems. Theinteraction server 510 receives pre-set parameters from both subscribersand vendor systems. The interaction server forwards vendor parametersfor storage in the live inventory database 502 and forwards subscriberparameters for storage in the stored parameters database 508. Bothvendors and subscribers typically enter descriptive parameters andprices. In embodiments of the invention, the interaction server 510 mayallow vendors to interactively bid for items matching purchaser enteredparameters. When the filtering server 540 matches vendor offerings tosubscriber parameters, the interaction server 510 alerts the subscriberof the matches with a newly generated URL from the transaction controlwebsite 512 that provides selection information to the subscriber.

The interaction server 510 may receive and manage the subscriber andvendor information to ensure accurate matching with vendorspecifications. The interaction server collects data generated from thesystems and may include or be incorporated in a computer system forreceiving and processing large amounts of data across disparate filemanagement systems. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, theinteraction server 510 receives and processes data across disparate filemanagement systems with a distributed file data management system suchas Hadoop®. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatother distributed file data management systems such as Spark®, HDCC®,and Storm® may be used to receive and process data across disparate filemanagement systems. The interaction server 510 may execute “extract,transform, and load” (“ETL”) procedures to gather data from the vendorstorage areas and account servers. Using ETL procedures, interactionserver 510 may then synthesize the data for combining into the datastorage areas. Thus, the interaction server 510 operates to receive andperform initial processing for all requests received from mobiledevices, other systems participants, and outside sources. In response toreceiving a request, the interaction server 510 selects and forwards therequest to the engine responsible for satisfying the request. Theinteraction engine 604 will also receive responsive information from theservers of the system and will form the transmission based on thereceived information. Thus, for instance, the interaction server 510will automatically generate a transmission with a structure that wouldbe understood by a given app with which the transmission is directed.The interaction server 510 will also form messages for other computersystems internal and external to the system

The authentication server 520 may server to interact with user mobiledevices to authenticate subscribers using the mobile devices.Authentication may occur through standard methods including usernames,passwords, security questions, and biometric factors.

The inventory control server 530 may interact with the live inventorydatabase 502 and vendor system to ensure that vendor inventory isupdated in real time. When the vendor receives new available inventory,the vendor updates its system if the inventory is to be available forpurchase. The transaction control system may receive updates from thevendor inventory system to update the live inventory database 502.During the course of a transaction, the inventory control server 530places a hold on an available unit of inventory when the filteringserver 540 finds a match with stored parameters 508. The inventorycontrol server 530 removes the hold and releases the inventory when thepurchaser does not select the offered inventory produced by thefiltering server 540. When the purchaser does select the offeredinventory through the interaction server 510, the inventory controlserver 530 automatically deducts the purchased item from availableinventory in the live inventory database 502. In embodiments of theinvention, the transaction control system also delivers the updates fromthe inventory control server 530 to the vendor system in order toautomatically update the vendor system. In other embodiments of theinvention, the inventory control server 530 operates on multipleinventory databases in discrete locations maintained by multipleparticipating vendors.

Whether the inventory check is based on the contents of one liveinventory database, or on multiple disparate inventory systems, thetransaction control system knows at the time of the inventory check,based on interaction between the funds processing server 570 and theaccounts server that the subscriber has the funds to pay the vendor.Prior to acceptance by any vendor, the system notifies each vendorthrough the interaction server that each vendor has a potentialtransaction pending for the matching item. Only after selection does thepotential sale drop off all of the non-selected vendor pendingtransactions.

The filtering server 540 executes algorithms to match purchaser enteredcriteria with available participating vendor inventory. The availableparticipating vendor inventory may be assessed based on pre-setparameters received form the vendor systems vendor in conjunction witheach available unit of inventory. For example, vendors may enter apre-set price for each unit of inventory. If the description of the unitof inventory entered by the vendor matches with the purchaser pre-setparameters, the filtering server 540 returns the unit of inventory as amatch. For example, if the vendor pre-set price matches with thepurchaser entered parameters by being either less than or equal to thepurchaser-entered price, then the filtering server 540 returns the itemof inventory as a match. In embodiments of the invention, the filteringserver 540 may filter initially based on location and subsequently basedon description and price. If the filtering server 540 fails to locateany items of inventory that match both respect to description and price,it may return those items as suggestions that may be conveyed throughthe interaction server. Alternatively, the filtering server 540 mayproduce suggestions that allow the purchaser to modify the descriptionand or pre-set price through the interaction server 510. When thefiltering server 540 locates matches, it notifies the inventory controlserver 530 so that a hold can be placed on matching inventory.

The delivery processor 550 may be included in embodiments of theinvention and may be utilized to monitor delivery of purchased goods andservices. The delivery processor may provide incentives for timely andsatisfactory delivery as will be further explained below

The transaction tracking server 560 may serve to track transactions fromopening to closing. For example, while input of user parameters may opena transaction, multiple steps may occur prior to the closing of atransaction. The transaction tracking server 560 tracks transactions forall participating vendors and subscribers and conveys the status of thetransaction to the remaining servers. For example, upon opening of atransaction through entry of parameters through interaction server 510,the transaction tracking server opens a transaction for the subscriber.Upon selection of an item by a subscriber, the transaction trackingserver 560 records the vendor and upon payment and delivery closes thetransaction between the subscriber and vendor. Thus, at any particularmoment in time, the transaction tracking server 560 is tracking thestatus of multiple open transactions. The transaction tracking server560 may provide notice to the interaction server 510 of potentialtransactions for each vendor once a transaction has been opened throughentry of subscriber parameters and filtering to find matches from aparticular vendor. This enables the interaction server 510 to display tothe vendor systems a list of all potential pending transactions. If thepurchaser makes a selection and does not select the particular vendor,the interaction server 510 will drop the potential transaction from thelist.

The funds processing server 570 may interact with the accounts server toensure that holds on subscriber accounts, payment authorizations, andpayment processing are conducted in the appropriate sequence for eachpotential transaction. The funds processing server 570 receivesinformation from the interaction server 510 so that input of parametersthrough the interaction server 510 results in a hold by the fundsprocessing server 570 and input of a selection through the interactionserver 510 results in funds processing through the funds processingserver 570. In embodiments of the invention, communication with thedelivery processor 550 results in further funds processing by the fundsprocessing server as will be further described below in conjunction withmethods of the invention.

Thus, the transaction control system communicates with systemparticipants, performs matching, sends available selections, andreceives a selection prior to processing a funds transfer and completingthe transaction.

Generally, it should be noted that the components depicted and describedherein above may be, or include, a computer or multiple computers.Although the components are shown as discrete units, all components maybe interconnected or combined. The components may be described in thegeneral context of computer-executable instructions, such as programmodules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modulesinclude routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc.,that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed with various computer system configurations, includinghand-held wireless devices such as mobile phones or PDAs, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may alsobe practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules may be located in both local and remote computer storage mediaincluding memory storage devices.

Computers typically include a variety of computer readable media thatcan form part of the system memory and be read by the processing unit.By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media maycomprise computer storage media and communication media. The systemmemory may include computer storage media in the form of volatile and/ornonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) and random accessmemory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basicroutines that help to transfer information between elements, such asduring start-up, is typically stored in ROM. RAM typically contains dataand/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/orpresently being operated on by a processing unit. The data or programmodules may include an operating system, application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. The operating system may be orinclude a variety of operating systems such as Microsoft Windows®operating system, the Unix operating system, the Linux operating system,the Xenix operating system, the IBM AIX™ operating system, the HewlettPackard UX™ operating system, the Novell Netware™ operating system, theSun Microsystems Solaris™ operating system, the OS/2™ operating system,the BeOS™ operating system, the Macintosh™® operating system, theApache™ operating system, an OpenStep™ operating system or anotheroperating system of platform.

At minimum, the memory includes at least one set of instructions thatare either permanently or temporarily stored. The processor executes theinstructions that are stored in order to process data. The set ofinstructions may include various instructions that perform a particulartask or tasks, such as those shown in the appended flowcharts. Such aset of instructions for performing a particular task may becharacterized as a program, software program, software, engine, module,component, mechanism, or tool. A computer may include a plurality ofsoftware processing modules stored in a memory as described above andexecuted on a processor in the manner described herein. The programmodules may be in the form of any suitable programming language, whichis converted to machine language or object code to allow the processoror processors to read the instructions. That is, written lines ofprogramming code or source code, in a particular programming language,may be converted to machine language using a compiler, assembler, orinterpreter. The machine language may be binary coded machineinstructions specific to a particular computer.

Any suitable programming language may be used in accordance with thevarious embodiments of the invention. Illustratively, the programminglanguage used may include assembly language, Ada, APL, Basic, C, C++,COBOL, dBase, Forth, FORTRAN, Java, Modula-2, Pascal, Prolog, REXX,and/or JavaScript for example. Further, it is not necessary that asingle type of instruction or programming language be utilized inconjunction with the operation of the system and method of theinvention. Rather, any number of different programming languages may beutilized as is necessary or desirable.

In addition, the instructions and/or data used in the practice of theinvention may utilize any compression or encryption technique oralgorithm, as may be desired. An encryption module might be used toencrypt data. Further, files or other data may be decrypted using asuitable decryption module.

The computing environment may also include other removable/nonremovable,volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. For example, a hard diskdrive may read or write to nonremovable, nonvolatile magnetic media. Amagnetic disk drive may read from or write to a removable, nonvolatilemagnetic disk, and an optical disk drive may read from or write to aremovable, nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD ROM or other opticalmedia. Other removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computerstorage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environmentinclude, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memorycards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM,solid state ROM, and the like. The storage media is typically connectedto the system bus through a removable or non-removable memory interface.

The processing unit that executes commands and instructions may be ageneral purpose computer, but may utilize any of a wide variety of othertechnologies including a special purpose computer, a microcomputer,mini-computer, mainframe computer, programmed micro-processor,micro-controller, peripheral integrated circuit element, a CSIC(Customer Specific Integrated Circuit), ASIC (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit), a logic circuit, a digital signal processor, aprogrammable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable GateArray), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), PLA (Programmable Logic Array),RFID processor, smart chip, or any other device or arrangement ofdevices capable of implementing the steps of the processes of theinvention.

It should be appreciated that the processors and/or memories of thecomputer system need not be physically in the same location. Each of theprocessors and each of the memories used by the computer system may bein geographically distinct locations and be connected so as tocommunicate with each other in any suitable manner. Additionally, it isappreciated that each of the processors and/or memories may be composedof different physical pieces of equipment.

A user may enter commands and information into the computer through auser interface that includes input devices such as a keyboard andpointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touchpad. Other input devices may include a microphone, joystick, game pad,satellite dish, scanner, voice recognition device, keyboard, touchscreen, toggle switch, pushbutton, or the like. These and other inputdevices are often connected to the processing unit through a user inputinterface that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected byother interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game portor a universal serial bus (USB).

One or more monitors or display devices may also be connected to thesystem bus via an interface. In addition to display devices, computersmay also include other peripheral output devices, which may be connectedthrough an output peripheral interface. The computers implementing theinvention may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, the remote computerstypically including many or all of the elements described above.

Various networks may be implemented in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention, including a wired or wireless local area network (LAN)and a wide area network (WAN), wireless personal area network (PAN) andother types of networks. When used in a LAN networking environment,computers may be connected to the LAN through a network interface oradapter. When used in a WAN networking environment, computers typicallyinclude a modem or other communication mechanism. Modems may be internalor external, and may be connected to the system bus via the user-inputinterface, or other appropriate mechanism. Computers may be connectedover the Internet, an Intranet, Extranet, Ethernet, or any other systemthat provides communications. Some suitable communication protocols mayinclude TCP/IP, UDP, or OSI, for example. For wireless communications,communications protocols may include Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDa or othersuitable protocol. Furthermore, components of the system may communicatethrough a combination of wired or wireless paths.

Although many other internal components of the computer are not shown,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that such componentsand the interconnections are well known. Accordingly, additional detailsconcerning the internal construction of the computer need not bedisclosed in connection with the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for controlling a transaction in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. The process begins in S600. Thesystem locates saved or new search criteria in S610. For example, thesaved or new search criteria may be purchasing criteria entered by apurchaser through the mobile app as described above. If the criteria aresaved criteria, the purchaser has indicated that an ongoing search forthe entered criteria should be conducted.

In S620, the transaction control system opens a transaction using thetransaction tracking server. The open transaction relates to thepurchaser having entered the new or saved criteria, but is notimmediately associated with a vendor.

In S630, the system performs a funds hold through the funds processingserver and communication with the accounts server and further authorizesand queues the pending transaction.

In S640, the system filters on inventory using the filtering server.Thus, the filtering server compares the buyer entered or saved criteriato available vendor inventory. Upon locating matches, the systemnotifies the purchaser through the interaction server of the matches.This notification may be provided in the form of an alert, for example atext message or an email alert having a selectable link generated by theinteraction server that will cause the purchaser mobile app to open andallow the purchaser to view a menu of available selections providedthrough the transaction control system website. In preferred embodimentsof the invention, the selectable URL link is a uniquely generated linkby the interaction server for each set of selections offered to eachsubscriber. The subscriber or purchaser is able to select one or more ofthe provided options through the mobile application. As will be furtherdescribed below, the transaction control system, through inventorycontrol server, may place a hold on the inventory item for all of thevendors having a selection presented to the purchaser.

In S650, the transaction control system receives the purchaser selectionat the interaction server and processes the payment through the fundsprocessing server in S660. In S670, the transaction control systemcloses the transaction by performing appropriate vendor inventoryupdates through the inventory control server and altering thetransaction state through the transaction tracking server and theprocess ends in S690.

FIG. 7 illustrates a transaction control method in accordance with afurther embodiment of the invention. The method begins in S700 and thetransaction control system 100 detects a purchase request through theinteraction server in S706. In S710, the transaction control systemopens the transaction using the transaction server with respect to theparticular purchaser. In S716, the transaction control system holds andconfirms funds through the funds processing server. In S720, the systemperforms filtering using the filtering server to check for availabilityof the item specified in the purchase request. If the item is notavailable in S732, the system provides notification through theinteraction server in S734. If the item is available in S732, the systemprovides selections to the purchaser through the interaction server inS740. The system may provide the selection generating a unique URLcontaining the selections on the transaction control website, by sendingan alert to the subscriber mobile device including the URL, whereinselection of the URL will open the subscriber mobile app on the mobiledevice and allow the subscriber to view available selections on thetransaction control web site. These alerts can be received by thesubscriber mobile device when the subscriber is offline and bring thesubscriber online through selection of the uniquely generated URL. Ifthe system does not receive a selection from the purchaser in S750within a predetermined time period, the system may utilize theinteraction server to seek incentives from vendors in S752. For example,vendors may provide coupons or other offers. If the vendors provideincentives, the time period for receipt of selection may be extended inS752 for a predetermined period. If no selection is received in 750, theprocess ends in S792. If the system receives a selection in S750, itpays the selected vendor in S760 through interaction between the fundsprocessing server and the accounts server and updates the inventory forall vendors in S766 using the inventory control server. The system mayprovide receipts through the interaction server to both vendors andpurchaser subscribers in S770. In the displayed embodiment, the systemmonitors delivery in S780 using the delivery processor and closes thetransaction with the transaction tracker when delivery is completed inS790. The process ends in S792.

FIG. 8 illustrates a filtering process in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. The process begins in S800 and the system applies thepurchaser entered geographical and time constraints in S810 if suchconstraints exist. One or both of these types of constraints typicallyexist with respect to saved requests and may or may not exist withrespect to newly entered requests. In S820, the system searches onentered parameters using the filtering server where the geographical andtime constraints can be satisfied. For example, if the product is alarge vegetarian pizza desired ASAP, the system will filter out allestablishments outside of the desired geographic area and currentlyclosed. The system will then proceed to search on the particulars of thepizza desired as well as the desired price. When producing results, thesystem will not show results for establishments that are currentlyclosed or that are located outside of the desired geographic area. Inorder to fully execute the search, vendors must interact with thetransaction control system in order to fully establish open hours andgeographic locations. The process ends in S830.

FIG. 9 illustrates a process for providing available selections inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. The process begins inS900 and the system transmits an alert to the mobile device in S910. Thealert may, for example, be a text or an email containing a uniquelygenerated URL for each set of selections leading the subscriber to thetransaction control website. In S920, the transaction control systemreceives selection of a URL. In S930, selection of the URL activates themobile application on the subscriber. In S940, the mobile app displaysthe web site address referenced by the URL that contains selectionsavailable to the purchaser with acceptance options. The process ends inS950. Thus, selection of the URL by the purchaser will activate thepurchaser mobile application and take the purchaser to the transactioncontrol web site to view available selection.

FIG. 10 illustrates a transaction control method in accordance with anadditional embodiment of the invention. The process begins in S102 andthe system searches for a user-saved purchase request. If no purchaserequest is found in S106, the system starts a new search in S110 untilthe purchase request is found. Once the purchase request is found, thesystem opens a transaction in S116 and holds and confirms the fundsthrough interaction between the funds processing server and the accountsserver in S120. In S122, the system checks the live inventory databasefor matching items. If matching items are found in S124, the systemtakes these items (or vendor bids received through the interactionserver) in S126 and provides them to the purchaser. If no matching itemsare found in the live inventory in S124, the system may allow thepurchaser to view the live inventory listing.

Alerts may also be provided in this embodiment as set forth above withrespect to FIG. 9 However, in this embodiment, the system allows theuser to select multiple items and rank them in a particular order. InS130, if the system receives a selection from the subscriber of oneitem, a payment is authorized in S132. If the system receives aselection from the user in S130 of two items, payment to the vendorstocking the subscriber top pick is authorized in S136.

In both instances, delivery is monitored by the delivery processor. Inthe one-item scenario, delivery is monitored in S140 and if the goodsare not delivered, the payment is returned in S142. In the multiple itemscenario, if the goods are not delivered in S150, the payment isreturned through interaction between the funds processing server and theaccount server. In S152, the system provides the purchaser with theopportunity to buy the second ranked pick at a discount in S156.

In S158, the vendor that was unable to deliver the top pick is penalizedand a discounted payment is authorized in S160 for the second pick. InS162, the system determines if the second pick is delivered. If thesecond pick has not been delivered, the payment is returned.

Once the purchased item is delivered, a receipt is provided in S170 andthe transaction is closed in S180 as explained above. When delivery ismonitored as described above, the automatic updating of inventory in thelive inventory database may be delayed until closing of the transactionafter delivery has been successfully completed. Thus, all vendors havingresults displayed will continue to have an inventory hold on thedisplayed products. In this scenario, the vendors are incentivized tofulfill delivery requirements as a penalty results if they do not. Theprocess ends in S190.

The system as described herein provides an efficient method forcontrolling a transaction. The system gives purchasers more control overpurchasing. The purchasers are not required to stand in line or visit avendor (in person, online or by phone) only to find that the inventoryis unavailable. The system also benefits vendors with additional controlover transactions. The vendors are able see what is in the process ofbeing sold. The vendor is provided with notification that multiplepending transactions exist over a particular time period and thus willbe prepared for rush as the vendor sees a list of pending transactionsprior to subscriber arrival at the business. This is particularlyuseful, for example, to food service businesses that experience a rushduring particular hours. The pending transactions will be displayed forthe vendor prior to the rush to allow preparation. The system givesvendors increased knowledge of customer base and how many customers toexpect at any given time.

It should also be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the artthat the presently disclosed invention may be implemented in a widerange of industries. The various embodiments and features of thepresently disclosed invention may be used in any combination, as thecombination of these embodiments and features are well within the scopeof the invention. While the foregoing description includes many detailsand specificities, it is to be understood that these have been includedfor purposes of explanation only, and are not to be interpreted aslimitations of the present invention. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that other modifications to the embodiments describedabove can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Accordingly, such modifications are considered within thescope of the invention as intended to be encompassed by the followingclaims and their legal equivalent.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, togetherwith other advantages, which are obvious and inherent to the system andmethod. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinationsare of utility and may be employed without reference to other featuresand sub-combinations. This is contemplated and within the scope of theappended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A transaction control system forinitiating, processing, and closing a transaction between a subscriberand a vendor, the system comprising: a computer memory storing data andinstructions including at least a downloadable mobile application,wherein the mobile application is downloadable over the Internet forinstallation on a subscriber mobile device; a network interface forreceiving parameters entered by the subscribers through the mobileapplication on the subscriber mobile device for storage in the computermemory, wherein the parameters include at least a required subscriberprice and a description, and for receiving inventory updates from vendorsystems, the inventory updates including at least a vendor price andidentifying information; a live inventory database for storing thevendor updates received form the vendor systems; and at least onecomputer processor executing the instructions stored in memory andaccessing the stored parameters and the live inventory database toperform the following: communicating with an accounts server to confirmsubscriber funds and place a hold on subscriber funds equal to therequired subscriber price; implementing a matching algorithm to detectmatching results by determining if any vendor prices and identifyinginformation satisfy any required subscriber prices and descriptions;transmitting an alert to the subscriber mobile device when one or morematching results are detected, the alert allowing the subscriber toaccess the matching results, wherein the alert includes a selectable URLactivating the subscriber mobile application and allowing the subscriberto view the selectable results over the Internet from a transactioncontrol website, wherein the selectable URL is a uniquely generated linkfor each set of selections offered to each subscriber, and wherein theselectable URL contains selections available to the subscriber withacceptance options; receiving a selection from the subscriber of atleast one of the matching results; conducting payment processing for thematching result; and closing the transaction.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the subscriber mobile device executes geolocation and thetransaction control system receives a subscriber location from thesubscriber mobile device and determines through the matching algorithmvendor proximity to the subscriber.
 3. The system of claim 2, whereinthe parameters entered by the subscriber include a proximity requirementand the transaction control system delivers a result as a matchingresult only when the vendor meets the proximity requirement.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein an inventory control server updates the liveinventory database when a transaction for a matching result from thevendor is closed.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein when multiplematching results from multiple vendors are located, the inventorycontrol server notifies the multiple vendors of the matching result andplaces a hold on the inventory in the live inventory database for thematching result for each of the multiple vendors.
 6. The system of claim4, wherein upon receipt of a buyer selection for one of the matchingresults from the multiple vendors, the inventory control server releasesthe hold on the inventory for unselected matching results and notifiesthe vendors of the buyer selection.
 7. The system of claim 1, whereinthe transaction control system receives vendor bids responsive to theopened transaction and delivers the vendor bids as matching results tothe subscriber mobile device.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein theparameters entered by the subscriber include a time requirement and thetransaction control system delivers a result as a matching result onlywhen the vendor meets the time requirement.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the transaction control system allows selection of more than onematching result.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the transactioncontrol system allows an ordered selection of multiple matching results.11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises adelivery processor for monitoring delivery of an item from the selectedvendor corresponding to the selected matching result prior to closing ofthe transaction.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transactioncontrol system assesses a penalty to the selected vendor uponnon-delivery and provides a discount to the subscriber.
 13. The systemof claim 1, wherein the transaction control system opens a transactionupon receipt of the parameters from the subscriber.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, further comprising a transaction tracking server tracking astate of each transaction upon opening of the transaction throughclosing of the transaction.
 15. A transaction control method forinitiating, processing, and closing a transaction between a subscriberand a vendor, the method comprising: storing, in a computer memory, dataand instructions including at least a downloadable mobile application,wherein the mobile application is downloadable over the Internet forinstallation on a subscriber mobile device; receiving, through a networkinterface, parameters entered by the subscribers through the mobileapplication on the subscriber mobile device for storage in the computermemory, wherein the parameters include at least a required subscriberprice and a description; receiving, through the network interface,inventory updates from vendor systems, the inventory updates includingat least a vendor price and identifying information; storing, in a liveinventory database, the received inventory updates from the vendorsystems; using at least one computer processor executing theinstructions stored in memory and accessing the stored parameters andthe live inventory database stored in the computer memory to performsteps including, communicating with an accounts server to place a holdon subscriber funds equal to the required subscriber price; implementinga matching algorithm utilizing the live inventory database and thestored parameters to detect matching results by determining if anyvendor prices and identifying information satisfy any requiredsubscriber prices and description; transmitting an alert to thesubscriber mobile device when one or more matching results are detected,the alert allowing the subscriber to access the matching results,wherein the alert includes a selectable URL activating the subscribermobile application and allowing the subscriber to view the selectableresults over the Internet from a transaction control website, whereinthe selectable URL is a uniquely generated link for each set ofselections offered to each subscriber, and wherein the selectable URLcontains selections available to the subscriber with acceptance options;receiving a selection from the subscriber of at least one of thematching results; conducting payment processing for the matching result;and closing the transaction.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising receiving geolocation information from the subscriber mobiledevice and determining through the matching algorithm vendor proximityto the subscriber.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingreceiving the parameters entered by the subscriber including a proximityrequirement and delivering a result as a matching result only when thevendor meets the proximity requirement.
 18. The method of claim 15,further comprising updating the live inventory database when atransaction for a matching result from the vendor is closed.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, further comprising notifying the multiple vendors ofthe matching results and placing a hold on the inventory for thematching results for each of the multiple vendors when multiple matchingresults from multiple vendors are located.
 20. The method of claim 19,further comprising releasing the hold on inventory for unselectedmatching results and notifying the multiple vendors of the buyerselection upon receipt of a buyer selection for one of the matchingresults from the multiple vendors.
 21. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising receiving vendor bids responsive to the opened transactionand delivers the vendor bids as matching results to the subscribermobile device.
 22. The method of claim 15, wherein the parametersentered by the subscriber include a time requirement and the transactioncontrol system delivers a result as a matching result only when thevendor meets the time requirement.
 23. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising allowing selection of more than one matching result.
 24. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising allowing an ordered selection ofmultiple matching results.
 25. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising monitoring delivery of an item from the selected vendorcorresponding to the selected matching result prior to closing of thetransaction.
 26. The method of claim 25, further comprising assessing apenalty to the selected vendor upon non-delivery and provides a discountto the subscriber.
 27. The method of claim 15, further comprisingopening a transaction upon receipt of the parameters from thesubscriber.
 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising tracking astate of each transaction upon opening of the transaction throughclosing of the transaction.